Anxiety-Inducing Teaser for ‘Disclaimer’ Starring Cate Blanchett Deserves a Disclaimer
“Beware of narrative and form,” declares a God-like voiceover to start the teaser for Apple TV+’s Disclaimer. On Wednesday, the streaming service released a minute-long teaser for the Alfonso Cuarón-directed, seven-part series, Disclaimer, out Oct. 11.
The teaser flashes several scenes from the show to introduce its several characters: Cate Blanchett as journalist Catherine Ravenscroft staring fearfully into the camera, Kevin Kline looking into the distance intently, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who plays Ravenscroft’s son, during a seeming sex scene.
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“Their power can bring us closer to the truth,” declares the VO as spine-chilling music plays. “But because of our own deeply held beliefs, and the judgments we make, they could also be a weapon with a great power to manipulate.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, be aware,” ends the voiceover ominously as scenes of Smit-McPhee’s character punching a wall, Blanchett nearly getting ran over, and two people walking into the ocean play onscreen.
The upcoming series is directed by Mexican director and five-time Oscar winner Cuarón, based on the novel Disclaimer by Renée Knight. The series will follow Ravenscroft, a journalist known for uncovering crimes and misdeeds, after she receives an anonymous novel that exposes her own secrets.
“As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Smit-McPhee),” reads a synopsis of the show.
The series, set to drop in October, also stars Phantom Thread‘s Lesley Manville, Enola Holmes‘ Louis Partridge, Leila George, Squid Game‘s Hoyeon, and Indira Varma as the narrator. The show’s tagline reads: “Any resemblance to persons living or dead is not a coincidence.”
Blanchett and Cuarón are executive producing, alongside Gabriela Rodriguez, David Levine, and the late Steve Golin. Emmanuel Lubezki, Donald Sabourin, and Carlos Morales also executive produce.
Lubezki and Bruno Delbonnel are the directors of photography. The score is composed by Finneas, who told Rolling Stone in a recent Billie Eilish cover story that Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft album featured the Attaca Quartet, whose music is featured in Disclaimer.
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